The Elephant in the Room, by Rich Paschall
Let’s talk about it, shall we? I am referring to the elephant. No, not a Ringling Brothers elephant. That matter has been resolved to almost everyone’s satisfaction. I say “almost” because there are some who object to the choice of land where the elephants may roam free, but that is another issue for another time.

Photo Credit: Charles W. Cushman Collection
The elephant in the room belongs to the Republicans. You know them as the Grand Old Party, but nothing seems too grand these days. They have splintered into pieces and the one left standing, the presumptive nominee for President of the United States of America (POTUS for you social media guys), is not one of the regular Republican politicians at all. The Donald has ridden the anti government wave all the way to the top. It is a wave that was ironically created by the regular Republicans and their supporters. They now find themselves asking, “How did this happen?” It certainly was not the game plan.
While both sides of the aisle sit and contemplate how such a man, regarded by some as a bigot and misogynist, could have stolen the lead of a major political party, the real surprise is not just that this person has a following and is running for office. The wonder is that there are so many supporters. Republican strategists have been trying to craft a plan that would stop their own leading candidate from gaining the presidential nomination. While stopping the New York billionaire seems to be on Republican and Democratic minds, the problems of the major parties are just a symptom of what ails us.

Elephant in the room
Andy Borowitz, satirist, commentator and best-selling New York Times author puts it like this, “Stopping Trump is a short-term solution. The long-term solution, and it will be more difficult, is fixing the educational system that has created so many people ignorant enough to vote for Trump.” You may have seen this quote being spread around social media like wildfire under a hot sun. This quote is one of the ones that are true, however. As for your other memes…
If there is one thing this campaign has proven, it is that there are a lot of stupid people. Social media have allowed many folks to demonstrate just how stupid they are. Since they are stupid to begin with, they do not realize how much stupidity they are demonstrating. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and (yikes!) even Word Press have given the ability to many to spread stupid all over the internet, and thus, all over the world.
There have been many times that I have tried to stop stupid in its tracks. When I see obviously incorrect statements on facebook I like to post a Snopes rebuttal or article from a reputable news source to refute the incorrect statement, but stupid will have none of it. People go on commenting as if the truth is unavailable and this internet mythology must certainly be true. In this regard, I am like a pebble on the beach being stomped on by flip-flops, Crocs and other ignoble beachwear.
While US News and World Report reported the higher education system as third best in the world, elementary and secondary schools did not fare so well by others. In the 2012 Program For International Student Assessment, among 15 year olds Americans ranked 35th in the world in math and 27th in science. In 2015 the Pew Research Center reported “29% of Americans rated their country’s K-12 education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (known as STEM) as above average or the best in the world.” That’s rather low. American scientists gave education a lower mark.
While major American school systems are broke, politicians talk about tax breaks for the rich and “trickle down” style economics. Teachers in Detroit work for a school system that can not afford to educate children and teachers wonder how long they will get paid. If you think Detroit is unique, you better have a look around. Chicago is barely surviving while school districts in richer communities in Illinois get more money per student than those in the places where education is more difficult to administer.
Google (used as a verb) American education problems and look at the long list of articles and reports by reputable sources. You can spend the next month reading how we have slipped into a mediocre education system, or I should say, series of systems. The value of education in some states is rather low and some of the courses dictated by local school boards would better be categorized as propaganda than education.
With such a gap in education quality across the nation, it becomes much easier for spin machines to do their work. While I generally hate the “back in my day” approach, or statements beginning “when I was young,” here we go anyway. There was a time when there were only three major television networks, a few major radio outlets, a relative handful of newspaper conglomerates and news services (eg. Reuters, UPI, AP). They worked hard at getting the story first and getting it right. Reporting was also educating and many of them knew it.
Now the news reporting is barely that. Networks bring on so-called experts to spin the news and in many cases it is nothing more than biased viewpoints thrown at the uneducated masses for the purpose of swaying opinion. When I think of certain right-wing outlets (you know the ones) I think of a lot of angry guys telling us what to think. It may have been what the Republicans wanted from their media supporters at one time, but it seems to have blown up in their faces. Insert the Donald Trump “I love the poorly educated” statement here.
Perhaps it is best to contemplate this statement from a Founding Father, Benjamin Franklin. Yes, this widely spread statement is true: “The only thing more expensive than education is ignorance.”
Note: While some rank the USA as number one in higher education in the world based on the sheer number of quality universities, no one ranks the overall education or systems of schools in the United States as anywhere near the top.
Sources: Pew Research Center
“Watch Trump Brag About Uneducated Voters, “The Hispanics,” Rolling Stone
“U.S. Millennials Come Up Short in Global Skills Study”, Education Week
“US Students Slide In Global Ranking,” NPR
Categories: Education, Politics, Rich Paschall
Were it only so easy to blame “The Donald” on our failing education systems and the rise of stupidity; and I recognize that is not your primary point in his unbelievable climb.
I’ve only just arrived back in Florida after a five+ month absence and during that time the conversation here has shifted from JEB and/or Rubio, to Trump, and it’s not gen-X or millenials heaping the adulation, it’s the grey, white and blue-haired boomers. And it’s not just the natives, southerners and Floridians. He’s all the talk of the soon to depart (heading back north, or perhaps…the other, more permanent departure from God’s Waiting Room) Nor’Easters. You can’t go out to eat without overhearing multiple conversations, and if one table is talking aloud others join in, all on the orange-faced savior and his “plans” (sic) to make us “great again”.
If it were only ignorance, then they’ve been teaching it for many, many years.
LikeLiked by 1 person
They have not been teaching much for many years. Elementary and secondary schools around here do not seem to have civics, geography or business in the curriculum. Teaching what is cool or socially acceptable is not the path to education.
LikeLike
It’s not JUST ignorance. It’s WILLFUL ignorance, which is, as they say, a horse of a very different color.
LikeLiked by 1 person
For me over in the UK, this is really scary. Just think how much influence the US has in the rest of the world. The media here is ridiculing Trump, but we may end up with egg on our faces. Of course the corporate elite on both sides of the Atlantic, may also have a vested interest in keeping the majority ignorant. Just so we keep buying their trash, and not seeing that there are better alternatives.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is scary here and the race may be close.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Honestly, describing the current state of our educational system as mediocre is, I think, really understating the problem. It’s bad. Really bad. The only reason it doesn’t show up as bad as it really is? The full effect of the horrible education the current generation of kids are getting won’t become entirely apparent for some years. Having a granddaughter just gone through the system was a real eye-opener. It’s worse than anyone except parents and school age kids realize.
LikeLiked by 3 people
I think they have abandoned geography and civics and come up wanting on everything else. The fall of the empire will be the result of overwhelming ignorance.
LikeLike
Overwhelming ignorance indeed. I find it terrifying. So does Garry. The breadth and depth of of the ignorance and stupidity is mind-boggling. Worse, it’s not a new thing. It’s been building for years. I no longer try to correct anyone because they don’t want the truth. They don’t care about facts versus bullshit. They really just want what they want and that’s it. They are not ONLY stupid and ignorant. They are also venal, vicious, mean-spirited … and possibly dangerous. Oh, and let’s not forget haters — racist and bigots.
LikeLiked by 1 person
People just don’t seem to care that the Donald is proven to be lying most of the time or making up crap. President Obama said in a recent graduation speech that stupid is not a good quality for our leaders, yet many don’t care.
LikeLike
Don’t forget no more grammar (they abandoned that before I was in school!) and now, penmanship.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Schools refer to cursive as if it were a curse. Too bad the social media kids will be unable to read historic documents.
LikeLike
They don’t teach them to tell time from an analog clock either. So they can visit Big Ben, but they won’t know what time it says. I had to teach my granddaughter. Mind you, it only took about 5 minutes. How stupid to not teach something so basic … and so easy?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hear hear. All true… Well said.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Okay, Rich. You KNEW you’d get to me on this one. Back in the day (Gawd, I HATE that cliche!), we’d love, hate and chew up a guy like The Donald. We would do “Team Reports”, going at him from all angles. Of course, that was in the olden days when TV News was an independent entity, not answering to sales or entertainment suits.
The Donald’s campaign strategy — so obviously tailored to the styles of everyone from Genghis Khan to the German House painter — would’ve been given greater scrutiny. Think Ed Murrow doing a sit down with The Donald.
Those were the days when commentary would deal squarely with The Donald and his lackies without getting into name calling.
Yes, we paid a price for taking on the bullies but they always knew they were not being taken lightly.
Sadly, The Donald is playing more like Professor Harold Hill to his minions.
It’s all very, very scary!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, I absolutely knew I would draw a comment from you on this. We do get investigative reporting here. You know, the sin of red light cameras or politicians who get away with parking in No Parking zones, but nothing to deep after that. Who is educating the masses? 60 Minutes? Frontline? What is there after that?
LikeLiked by 1 person
And Morley Safer is dead. It’s only going to get worse.
LikeLiked by 2 people
True that.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Safer is dead but “60 Minutes” ran one of his canned pieces last night. I hope his estate tallied those ka-chings!
$$
LikeLiked by 1 person
Rich, last night we watched the HBO film, “All The Way” starring Bryan Cranston as LBJ. It was a pretty good take on LBJ from ’63 to ’67. Cranston pretty much nailed Johnson. Having spent a little time with LBJ (in Vietnam and Washington), I loved the way he handled the media. He sparred with Dr. King and the Dixie Crats to get the Civil Rights Bill passed. I recall how he traded favors with some reporters to get things done. As a newbie, I got some goodies because I didn’t back down from my bosses.
Those were the days!!
LikeLiked by 1 person